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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. mug — a face
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. sharp — clever
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mug — to rob
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. kid — child
  11. craft — a skill
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. lie — to recline
  14. scale — size or range
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. craft — boats
  19. cell — in biology
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. scale — in music
  22. kid — to tease
  23. prune — to trim
  24. sharp — exactly

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com